The USS WASP (LHD-1), which is the lead ship of a class of multipurpose amphibious assault ships. This Navy-Marine Corps team's amphibious warship, has as its primary mission the support of a Marine Landing Force. USS WASP and her sister ships are the first specifically designed to accommodate new Landing Craft, Air Cushion for fast troop movement over the beach and Harrier II (AV-8B) Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing jets which provide close-in air support for the assault force. LHD-1, which is 844 feet long with a beam of 106 feet, also accommodates the full range of Navy and Marine Corps helicopters, conventional landing craft, and amphibious vehicles.

To carry out its primary mission, USS WASP has an assault support system that synchronizes the simultaneous horizontal and vertical flow of troops, cargo and vehicles throughout the ship. Two aircraft elevators service the hangar bay and flight deck. Six cargo elevators, each 12 by 25 feet, are used to transport material and supplies from the 100,000 cubic foot cargo holds throughout the ship to staging areas on the flight deck, hangar bay and vehicle storage area. Cargo is transferred to waiting landing craft docked within the ship's 13,000 square foot, 266 foot long, well deck. Helicopters in the hangar bay or on the flight deck are cargo-loaded by forklift.

For the comfort of the 1,075 crewmembers and 1,600 embarked troops, all manned spaces and berthing areas are individually heated and air conditioned. Onboard recreational facilities include a state-of-the-art Library Multi-Media Resource Center with Internet access, a weight room, arcade machines and satellite television capabilities.

USS WASP's two steam propulsion plants--the largest currently in operation in the U.S. Navy--generate a total of 400 tons of steam per hour. The propulsion system develops 70,000 shaft horsepower, powering the ship to speeds in excess of 22 knots. USS Wasp was built using more than 21,000 tons of steel, 400 tons of aluminum, and 400 miles of electrical/electronic cables. The WASP weighed more than 27,000 tons when moved onto the Ingalls Shipping floating dry-dock on July 30, 1987 for launch on August 4, 1987, becoming the largest man-made object rolled across land. [Pictures and information courtesy of the U. S. Navy.]

Tomorrow: The Men & Women of the USS Wasp [Yes, a litttle eye candy for my blog brothers and sisters].

Posted by: Michele at 06:42 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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